A memoir of journeys made

Whenever friends would ask me where in the Philippines they should go if they don’t have the time, I’d often say, visit Bohol! Why? That’s because this lovely island is sort of like a sampler of what can be had all over the country! Delicious foods, rich history, endemic animals, scenic sights, eco adventures, beautiful beaches and an amazing marine life just to name some!

Located in the Central Visayas region, Bohol has two main islands namely Bohol and Panglao. Bohol island, the tenth largest island in the country is famous for its limestone formations more popularly known as the Chocolate Hills. While Panglao is where you have to head to if you want to beach bum or dive.

The first time I was there was when I went on a trip with a German friend I met in Singapore. From Manila, we flew for an hour to Cebu then took a 2hour fast craft from there. Buying tickets for the fast craft ahead of time would really save you money. Say if you buy it on the day itself, you’ll have to pay for the full amount but if you’ll purchase one (online), you would pay only half of it! Alternatively, just book a flight directly to Bohol’s Tagbilaran airport. ;)

To maximize your 3 days there (although you can definitely stay there for an extended period of time), I’d suggest you have an agenda for each day. Something like:

Or just remove one from the list so as not to tire yourself out too much. We only did the countryside as well as the sea tour. I have to go back to experience Danao! ;)

DAY 1: ARRIVAL IN BOHOL + COUNTRYSIDE TOUR

I’d booked with Bohol Bee Farm because I’ve heard wonderful feedback from friends about the foods they have there. And since I sometimes travel for a locale’s food, it was a no brainer for me. Once we’re at Tagbilaran’s port, there was a guy outside waiting for us. This is a free service that they have for their guests. It was just us and another pair of visitors. It was only a few minutes away but the Farm is out-of-the-way from the main road. The road leading up to it was kinda bumpy and wasn’t paved. While I was checking us in, they told us that since they have vacant rooms, they’ll upgrade us to one of their ocean view rooms, free of charge! Sweet!

BBF's lounge area

I’m not so sure if BBF would appeal to everyone though since it’s quiet there. I love that everything there was very native and they try to be as fresh as possible. Their lounge area (sunbathing platform as they call it), is a nice place to chill in. And not to forget, a perfect spot for taking pictures. To get there though, you’ll have to walk down the stairway they made on the side of a cliff. They don’t have a beachfront (coz it’s on a cliff) but during low tide, you can wade through their waters if you want.

Not normally part of any itinerary, my friend and I wanted to check out Mag-Aso Falls because it was just so beautiful in pictures! We weren’t disappointed, it really is beautiful and more so! My companion was crazy enough to actually trek to the top of the falls so I can take his picture while he jumps. BUT since I wasn’t able to get a decent shot, he did it 4 more times! He didn’t really needed any prompting as he was just so excited to do it. hehe

Happy to be in the water! ;)

Next stop is the Baclayon Church. Then it’s a buffet lunch in Loboc while on a river cruise. On our way to see the Chocolate Hills in Carmen, we stopped by a roadside to see how small the world’s smallest primate, tarsier, really is! While I loved how green it was at the man-made forest of Pilar! THe Chocolate Hills didn’t look like chocolates coz they were covered in grass hehe We went to a butterfly garden afterwards. That was the best butterfly garden I’ve been to in the country since the very well-informed guides told it in such a way that you’re laughing while learning at the same time. I bought some souvenirs near the hanging bridge. We also went inside Hinagdanan Cave despite the fact that it’s supposed to be closed. The guides still let us in. Oh, and they’re amazing with all types of cameras! They know how to set it to actually get some good shots in the dark! ;) I can very well say that I learned useful infos from them. hehe Cheap souvenirs can be bought when you stop by Prony the Python’s. He is said to be the biggest in captivity but I couldn’t vouch for this coz he was coiled unto himself when we saw him. :)

Loboc's river cruise

At Baclayon Church with the image of Padre Pio

Spot the tarsier ;)

Man-made forest

The famed Chocolate Hills!

Walking along the hanging bridge after buying souvenirs :D

It was already dark when Kuya Tatsky dropped us off in Panglao Island’s Paragayo Resort. It’s in Alona Beach. We stayed there coz there were more options for us with regards to where to stay and eat at (and it’s cheaper here too). The other beach is Dumaluan. On a different trip, I stayed here with my family. The beach here, Dumaluan, is really nice. They have a wide beach front and thw sands are powdery fine here as well! The only drawback is that there were fewer choices to eat and it’s more expensive (Eskaya, Bohol Beach Club, Amarela, Dumaluan Beach Resort to name a few). On the plus side though, it’s a more relaxed and chill out place. :)

*An option for day 1 is to have your tour guide pick you up from the airport then head straight to the countryside tour. Instead of staying at Bohol Bee Farm, it’s actually included in the daytour itself. Would save more money but it could be tiring. ;)

DAY 2: SEA TOUR

We woke up early so that we could be at sea by 7am. I was sooo excited to see the dolphins! The boat was arranged by Kuya Tatsky as well. There were only 2 of us in the boat aside from our guides. After several minutes, we were out in the open. We saw other bancas (boat) making their way there as well for the same reason. It was so thrilling when I saw a dolphin making a flip and diving right back into the water. There was a whole pod of them! They were fast! It was amazing! I didn’t want to ruin the experience by taking a video so I only took a few shots and just enjoyed the moment. After a while though, we told the boatman that we had enough and would rather leave. We realized that every other bancas were chasing the pod. I, well… we, didn’t enjoy that cat and mouse game (or so it seemed to us) so we opted to leave. We saw them which was good enough for us. :D

Dolphins!!! :D

Next stop, Balicasag Island for some snorkeling fun! It’s a small island in the middle of a marine sanctuary. I don’t think I’m a good swimmer. I can swim, yes. But if I get scared, I can’t. Totally sucks. Anyways, I told my friend this and was expecting him to not leave me on my own as I’ll go snorkelling by the deep (there was a drop there) without any lifevest on. I was totally enjoying myself and I knew I was swimming away from our boat but I didn’t realize I was completely on my own. When I did, I started to panic (my heart started beating faster)! I tried to keep calm. It’s a great thing our guide was keeping close watch on me and the boat was beside me instantly when I called out to him. I got back ito the boat safely but I was dizzy coz of the panic attack! lol We didn’t bring any lunch so we had some foods cooked for us there. Yum! I had to wait for a while before I could enjoy it though as my world wasn’t stable yet. hehe Next stop was Virgin Island. To my disappointment. it was high tide so you can’t really see it. Not good for pics! ;) We still enjoyed it there though but the water was up to our knees already.

Chilling by Balicasag Island

DAY 3: CHILL TIME

We had no other agenda here because we have an early flight back home. So we spent the day enjoying the beautiful beach of Bohol. :)

Totally clueless as to how these sand formations came about! haha

Waking up early to enjoy the beach :)

Still sleepy hehe

I had a wonderful time when I went there the first time that I came back with my family the second time around :D

*pics used were from both trips

*more details coming up! ;)

This is my entry for Pinoy Travel Blogger’s blog carnival for the month of January 2012 hosted by Eileen of Possibly Pinay with the theme “The 3Days/2Nights Challenge.”